Blow against broadcast piracy in Uruguay: TV cable operator raided

DirecTV press release

(Machine translation)

Montevideo, August 4, 2023 – Two people were arrested and brought before a court this week in Montevideo after a raid on a cable operator that illegally retransmitted television signals, and technical equipment was seized in what is a new blow against broadcast piracy in South America.

The courts ordered the search that was carried out on Wednesday, August 2, at the cable operator called "TV AMÉRICA" in the América Complex in the Barrio Colón of the Uruguayan capital, which operated clandestinely and retransmitted signals that were stolen from the company DIRECTV Latin America.

The signals DSPORTS, AMÉRICA TV, ESPN, HISTORY, CINECANAL, UNIVERSAL and VTV PLUS were illegally retransmitted from decoders, together with a broader grid that is inferred to have the same irregular origin, since pirate equipment, called “FTA type” was observed during the investigation.

This is the second blow against broadcast piracy registered in South America in a month. In mid-July, a gang that was engaged in the sale and resale of illegal digital streaming services, with some 85,000 subscribers in several countries in the region, was broken up in the Argentine province of Buenos Aires through an exhaustive judicial investigation and following a complaint from DIRECTV.

The case of TV AMERICA

Based on a complaint, an in-depth and detailed investigation was initiated by the Asset Protection, Anti-Piracy and Operations team of the DIRECTV Latin America company together with the specialist and renowned lawyer Fernando Couto. The process allowed the case to be carried out until the illegal maneuver was confirmed.

From the first field inspections, precarious or non-standard facilities could already be noticed that suggested a certain clandestinity, commented professionals who were part of the exhaustive investigation

The experts also pointed out that the retransmission was given through decoders that they had contracted by subscription and not from violations of the companies' security systems.

Based on an efficient and rapid action by the Police of Zone IV of Investigations of the Department of Crimes Against Persons of Montevideo, through an important deployment that included several troops, mobile phones and even a drone to take images of the installations at height, the illegal retransmission maneuver was confirmed.

The raided offices were at Senda 110, between 6 and 12, in the América Complex, Barrio Colón in Montevideo. Inside, 8 decoders were found, which were those used for this crime, among many other devices and equipment.

This housing complex is the third in number of inhabitants in Uruguay, and it is estimated that between 6,000 and 7,000 people live there. Although the number of subscribers could not yet be established exactly, it is estimated that at least half of the homes had this service.

Two men, ages 40 and 46, were arrested during the operation. One would be the owner or person in charge of the cable operator, who had one of the decoders detected retransmitting illegally registered in his name.

Both detainees were brought to justice and will be charged with the crimes of signal theft and violation of copyright law, as well as the improper use of the DIRECTV brand in the illegal resale of signals.

The procedure was authorized by prosecutor María Silvia Perez, who presented the complaint by the injured company and acted immediately, thus allowing this result to be achieved.

This cable obtained the signals mainly from the channels using various home contracts, then illegally retransmitted them to its clients, who paid around 550 Uruguayan pesos, thus avoiding paying the operators that own the signals.

According to the records, "TV AMERICA" is not authorized by URSEC (Regulatory Unit for Communications Services), hence it was operating without proper authorization.

Both clandestine cable operators, audiovisual piracy and fraud negatively impact the industry, generating millions in losses for companies due to the unauthorized use and distribution of copyright-protected content.

Likewise, piracy affects the security of the information of those who consume illegal content, many times without knowing it, by putting the personal data of users at risk due to its improper use.

This scourge also conspires against generating formal sources of jobs and prevents tax payments necessary for the growth and development of the infrastructure necessary to provide connectivity and access to information to millions of people in the region.